Warwick's Uckermark finishes on high note

CICERO — It wasn't the perfect script for the culmination of Todd Uckermark's stellar pole vaulting career for Warwick but pretty darn close.

Ken McMillan

CICERO — It wasn't the perfect script for the culmination of Todd Uckermark's stellar pole vaulting career for Warwick but pretty darn close.

Calling it one of the best competitions he's ever been in, Uckermark upped the Section 9 pole vault record by two inches and won the Division I state title with some gutsy clearances, eventually topping out at 16 feet, 3 inches. Other than dealing with a tricky knee, the only thing that spoiled his final meet for Warwick was losing the Federation title by 3 inches to James Deutmeyer of Fordham Prep.

"I was running on a bit of a bum knee but I put everything out there,'' Uckermark said. "Obviously, I was hoping for the Federation and the public school title but I got to still feel blessed to take home the public school title twice, once indoors and once outdoors.''

Uckermark jumped 16 feet, 9 inches in a late-December indoor meet but failed to get past 16-1 during his outdoor season until the final day.

"I am disappointed that I was not able to hit that or put that above,'' Uckermark said of his career-best jump, "but that does not happen in pole vaulting. You have slumps while you are changing things or maybe you just get injured. It's a sport where you take what you can get because you can get nothing. I did better than last outdoor states.''

It was a year ago at Middletown when Uckermark famously no-heighted in a string of bad luck. He responded admirably, setting the Section 9 indoor and outdoor marks as a senior.

Though still a young man, Uckermark said his body has taken a beating from pole vault in recent years. He figures his knee is lacking somewhat in cartilage, and wearing a brace helps keep everything in place just enough for him to take his skyward bounds.

Uckermark was in danger of going out at 15-6 but once he saw teammate Derek Dibona make that height, it motivated him enough to do it on his third-and-final attempt. Uckermark briefly held the lead at 16 feet but Deutmeyer took the bar up to 16-3. At the other end of the runway, Uckermark boldy said out loud, "I can do that.'' Seconds later, Uckermark went up and over to prolong an event that pushed the limits of a Central New York sunset.

"Competition is great,'' Uckermark said. "You see a peer jump a bar and you want to be up there with him because you don't want the competition to end.

"The worst thing you can have as a pole vaulter is a lack of confidence,'' he added. "You need to be confident in yourself in what you can do. You need to go into every meet thinking you can do the best you can. When people jump the big height, you have to be able to say to yourself, 'You have been training as hard as they have and you can do that, too.'''

Uckermark will compete at outdoor nationals in Greensboro, N.C., next Sunday, and may compete at a Junior Olympic qualifier or Junior Nationals over the summer, as long as his knee feels up to it, but it will be as a club jumper.

"I am not going to be wearing Warwick anymore on my chest,'' said Uckermark, who will compete for High Point (N.C.) University next school year. "It's a weird feeling. Warwick gave me the best years of my life so far. I am happy I was able to share it with them.''